The Youth Service Bureau of Jay County, Inc. (YSB) would like To Give Special Thanks!

Left To Right.

Carlin Tipton, Todd Weaver Jr., Chris Liby, Clint Skirvin, Carl Masters, Todd Weaver Sr., Thomas Hampton. Not Pictured: Ryan Wilson

The Youth Service Bureau of Jay County, Inc. (YSB) would like to send a special thanks out to Mark Lefever and the KBL Transport team for their recent generosity!

Property at 609 West Arch Street was recently purchased by the YSB. Thanks to their help and generosity we are one step closer to having a nice green space for supervised visitations, outpatient play therapy, and YSB employee functions.

Home-Based Family Services

What Are Home-Based Family Services?

Unlike the outpatient or residential programs, home-based services seek to work with families in the primary place of need – their own home! Whether working to preserve intact families or train and support them as they seek reunification, home-based workers are equipped to help families reach their greatest potential in a variety of ways.

What Types Of Services Fall Under Home-Based?

Family Preservation Services (FPS) were introduced in 2020 as part of a state-wide initiative to reduce the number of child removals and provide more support to parents in order to keep children safe. Family Preservation provides comprehensive services including the use of evidence-based parenting
models, providing concrete support for families, and intensive safety checking and planning.


Supervised Visitation provides a safe environment for children who have been removed from their home to maintain or improve a healthy relationship with their parent(s). Supervised visits may occur in the home, in public, or in an office setting according to family needs. Home-based workers provide guidance and support for parents to improve their parenting skills and promote healthy bonding with their children.


Home-based Casework and Homemaker/Parent Aid meet a variety of family needs including household management, employment, housing, parent education, mentoring, connecting with resources, transportation assistance, and a variety of other needs. Caseworkers and Homemaker/Parent Aids provide a broad assessment leading to strengths-based, goal-oriented treatment planning.


Home-based Therapy seeks to bring inner healing to children and families. Therapy may address issues such as trauma, substance use/abuse, mental health, and family dynamics. Home-based therapy is provided by Master’s-level clinicians and may occur in the home, public, or office setting.

Where Does YSB Provide Home-Based Services?

Home-based services are offered to families involved with DCS or juvenile probation. YSB Home-based programs are available throughout DCS Region 7 including Adams, Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Jay, Randolph, and Wells Counties along with Henry and Wayne Counties in Region 12. Specific services may be only be available in certain counties due to staffing and caseloads

K. A. R. S. S.

The Keeping At-Risk Students in School program works with youth that are suspended or expelled from school, or who
need extra support and guidance that are at-risk. These students participate in community service at locations around
Jay County, at places like the Jay County Humane Society, Jay County Retirement Center, Arts Place, United Way, Jay
County Antique Mall, local churches and libraries. Youth in this program also benefit from tutoring help, behavior
management and drug prevention education.


Since the beginning of the program, the KARSS program has worked with 1,039 youth and have completed over 10,430
hours of community service. The KARSS program is currently working with 18 youth and has been focusing on
completing schoolwork, walking dogs at the humane society, and helping with the bi-weekly food harvest food drive

Safe place

Safe Place is a national program that assists youth in crisis. Safe Place is a national youth outreach and prevention
program for youth under 18 years old. It is a national program, with 32 counties in Indiana participating. In Jay County,
there are currently 16 sites! These sites include: The Youth Service Bureau, Jay County Jr-Sr High School, Westlawn
Elementary, Redkey Elementary, East Jay Elementary, JRDS, Portland Fire Department, Portland Police Department,
Portland Pizza King, Jay County Retirement Center, Jay County Sheriff Department, Pennville Library, Dunkirk City
Building, Dunkirk Police Department, Bearcreek Trustees office, and Bryant Volunteer Fire Department. These sites are
trained to be able to help youth, that may come in needing help!


When youth finds themselves in a crisis, homeless, or with nowhere safe to go, they can rest assured that Safe Place
can give them the help they need. When a youth enters a Safe Place site, the training employees take them to a private,
safe area and then will get an idea about what is going. From there, they will call the Youth Service Bureau to inform
them that they have youth in need, and the staff at the Youth Service Bureau will tell them what staff will be coming to
the site to help the youth. Once the Safe Place Coordinator gets the site, she will get more information about what is
going on at home, and will help get the youth resources they need. If the situation is not safe for the youth to return
home, they will be offered a place to stay at the residential home, until things are figured out at home and it is safe to
return home. If the youth decides they want to return home that nights, their parents will be called and brought in, and
resources will be given so that next time the youth feels to be in crisis, they will not feel the need to run away again

Residential Care

“The reason I initially wanted to be a part of YSB is that it aligned with my degree. I thought that YSB would help me get a good start on my career once I finished college. I knew that I would be caring for children, and that is where my heart is. The third shift does not allow me to interact with the residents often, but I do feel like the residents are a part of my life and I’m keeping them safe. I do believe in this program, and it has helped me to realize that I do not want my own classroom once I graduate. My goal is to work with children who need guidance and counseling in dealing with personal or family issues.

As far as the program goes, I think that the kids have an abundance of opportunities while being given a safe place to live. The residents can engage in extracurricular school activities and join the workforce, depending on their age. The recreation calendar is full of daily activities to keep the residents occupied and giving them the opportunity to try new things. The residents have taken trips, and they are always doing outdoor activities during the warm months. I know that there is so much more to the program. These are just a few things that I believe would spark interest because a lot of people that I have spoken with portray YSB differently. Not really in a negative way, but they see it more as a jail rather than a program providing stability and support to kids and families.

There are also plenty of free resources and training opportunities for staff. Our boss is pretty cool too.” ~Amy Wicker, Direct Care Worker, Residential

American Family Insurance donates $2,500 to THE YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU OF JAY COUNTY INC

 

Portland, IN Oct 2020 – The Youth Service Bureau of Jay County, Inc. received a $2,500 donation from the American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation. The Dreams Foundation recently asked customers to nominate nonprofit organizations in their communities as a way to say thank you and give back to communities during this challenging time.

The American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation is giving a total of $500,000 to 200 nonprofit organizations across the U.S.

PJ Corwin nominated THE YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU OF JAY COUNTY INC. for the dedication shown by employees to insure clients continued to receive essential services during the “stay at home order” caused by the pandemic.

“We’re thankful for the opportunity to support our local communities,” says Deb Grider, Agent. “We’re proud to make this donation and hope others will be inspired to do the same.”

#DreamFearlessly

YSB Receives 3 Year CARF Accreditation!

When a program or service is CARF-accredited, it means the organization has passed an in-depth review and meets rigorous CARF guidelines for service and quality—a qualified endorsement that it conforms to internationally recognized service standards and is focused on delivering the most favorable results for the people they serve. The human service field, including all stakeholders, develops the standards that are applied to CARF surveys.